Israel to continue taking determined action to bring all hostages back home – Netanyahu

Tel Aviv, Feb 2 (UNI) Israel will continue to take determined action to achieve all the objectives of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, including the release of all hostages still held in the Palestinian enclave, including the bodies of those who died there, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Palestinian movement Hamas released two more civilian hostages as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel. Israel in return will release 183 Palestinian prisoners, including those sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism.

“Citizens of Israel, in the last two weeks, we have succeeded in releasing 13 of our hostages … We will continue to take determined action to bring them back home, and achieve all of our objectives for the war,” Netanyahu said while addressing the nation after the exchange.

Israel expects the coming swap phases to be carried out safely as well, the prime minister added.

“At this time our thoughts are all with Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, and all of our hostages, the living and the deceased, who have yet to return home,” he said.

Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar, Egypt and the United States, agreed on January 15 to a 42-day ceasefire and declared their intention to finally end the hostilities that have claimed the lives of over 47,000 Palestinians and about 1,500 Israelis over 15 months, spreading to Lebanon and Yemen and provoking an exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Iran.

Leave a Reply